MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

3/30 Tracy in, Millar out

The Cubs decided they needed a left-handed bat and someone who could backup at third over a right-handed bat, and picked Chad Tracy over Kevin Millar for the final roster spot. Micah Hoffpauir and Sam Fuld were both optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

“He brings intangibles to the table but so do the rest of them,” GM Jim Hendry said of Millar. “He knew before camp started that it was kind of a long shot.”

Hendry met one on one with Millar to give him the news.

“Kevin was great,” Hendry said. “He’s a pro. I think he knew that I agonized over [the decision]. He’s a guy you’d always want in your organization. I’m not here to say he’s done [playing]. He knows down the road he’s a potential employee here. He’d be a great coach. He’s a tremendous human being and helped some guys here even though he’s not getting on the plane Saturday.”

With the Cubs trimming their roster this quickly, Millar may be able to catch on with another team.

The Cubs bench is much different from a year ago and much more experienced. They now have Tracy, Xavier Nady, Jeff Baker, Koyie Hill and rookie Tyler Colvin.

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11 Comments

Perect! Jim Hendry does it again! Chemistry gone again! DeRosa now Millar. Tom, how about cut Hendry and keep Maddux. Millar could have hit .092 and would have made a BIG difference! Rotten move again!

Boy, I’m all for piling on Hendry for all his bad moves but I must give him credit for going with the lesser of two evils.
Tracy is more of a need filler for this NL team with his defensive capabilities and more of a need for the bench since Haffpauir or Fuld didn’t make the cut this year. So some credit to Hendry but I still think our outfield is lacking some defensive options without Fuld!! We just didn’t need Millar with Nady and his lack of defense already on the team. I agree that there is something to be said about Millar’s clubhouse presence but when that’s ALL you have to offer it may be time to coach or retire.

Personally, I like Millar better than Tracy, but it wasn’t hard to see this happening. I have to admit that Tracy brings more to the team: another LH bat and the ability to fill in at both 1B and 3B. I wish the Cubs could sign Millar as a coach. There must be somewhere he could fit in.

I agree with Cubbybloo, no matter how much anybody (cubseato’s) likes Millar over Tracy to compare this to the “DeRosa Situation” (coming soon to a theatre near you) is absolutley wrong. Millar HAS NO HISTORY of his ASSUMED chemistry WITH THE CUBS. If the RedSox cut him you can make a case.

Since the bench consists of only five players, three of whom can hit from the left side, they could have kept Kevin Millar, a good right-handed hitter, and gone with one less pitcher, still leaving them with eleven.

I say this team has enough “all hit-no field” players. Tracy over Millar was the right call yet Fuld over Tracy would have made more sense. Doesn’t Baker already cover at first and third? We still need a defensive replacement outfielder, are the Cubs hoping Colvin is that guy? He’s already added weight to help his hitting which is fine but can he field lights out like Fuld? Well, at least we have some call up options now with Haffpauir and Fuld at AAA. I feel better about our depth this year than last year so some credit (finally) to Hendry.

I agree with a lot of commenter that is the best of the team. He is lefty, a carrier .280 hitter (.297 vs RHP), a quality backup az 1st, 3rd, even can play on the outfield, and seems like a good guy as well.
The clubhouse chemistry is should be ok, no Bradley, a lot of young guys, smart veterans.

My biggest concern (beside of course healty and unexperienced releivers) is team speed. We don’t have an average base stealer whatsoever. Not even on the bench (without Fuld). Colvin has an OK speed, but thats it. Who will be the go to guy to steal a base, when the team is down by a run, man at first?

peterson, I agree and that’s another reason I would feel better with Fuld on the team as he could be a pinch runner for the many slow of foot hitters in the line up when we need a pinch runner to steal second or to SCORE FROM SECOND. Not to mention my concern for outfield defense with a one or two run lead in the last inning of a game.
Byrd in left, Fuld in center and Fukodome in right would be the defenders to have when you absolutley need to catch everything. We’ll have to rely on Colvin in left which is still better than Soriano. Right now we have more than enough infield depth sacrificing outfield defense and team speed.

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